Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no Reserve Members in attendance.

To receive declarations of disclosable pecuniary or non pecuniary interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

(a)          all Members of the Board;

(b)          all other Members present.

RESOLVED:  To note that  the declaration of interests, which had been published on the Council website, be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 22 September 2020 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 22 September 2020, be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

To receive any public questions received in accordance with Board Procedure Rule 14.

Questions will be asked in the order in which they were received.  There will be a time limit of 15 minutes for the asking and answering of public questions.

[The deadline for receipt of public questions is 3.00 pm, 20 November 2020. Questions should be sent to publicquestions@harrow.gov.uk

No person may submit more than one question].

RESOLVED:  To note that one public question (with a supplemental question) was received and responded to and the recording had been placed on the website.

(The recording of the meeting can be viewed on the link:

https://www.harrow.gov.uk/virtualmeeting

Members welcomed Sheik Auladin, the new Chief Operating Officer for Harrow, Brent and Hillingdon, to his first meeting of Harrow Health and Wellbeing Board.

The Board received an update on corona virus (Covid-19) cases and the Adult Social Care Winter Plan for Harrow.

There had been a steady increase in the seven day average number of cases over October and early November 2020.  There had also been an increase in the number of tests, which was reinforced with data from Northwick Park Hospital.  This showed that the number of admissions with Covid-19 at the hospital had increased in the week 9 November to 15 November 2020, doubling in number over five days.

Furthermore, since the beginning of the pandemic and end of October 2020, there had been 412 deaths.  The majority of these deaths (398) occurred between March and early June 2020.  Seven deaths occurred in October 2020.  All of these deaths occurred in hospital.

A local testing site opened in South Harrow on 9 October 2020.  The site was initially booking at half capacity and had, in the past fortnight, increased to full capacity (up to 288 tests per day).  The site was well utilised with a high proportion of slots filled.  Mobile testing units would continue to be deployed twice per week at Harrow Civic Centre, and once at weekends at Northwick Park Hospital.

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) had published the national Adult Social Care (ASC) Winter Plan in September 2020.  The national plan sets out national support and expectations for local authorities, NHS organisations and care providers.  Every local authority had to ensure they had a winter plan in place for Covid-19 contingencies to deliver social care through the challenges of the winter.  Harrow Council had completed its ASC Winter Plan in conjunction with partner agencies. This had incorporated the recommendations from DHSC.

RESOLVED:  That the update be noted.

The Board received a presentation on the progress on the Integrated Care System for North West London.

The context of the system was embedded in NHS policy, where areas would work as a single ICS (Integrated Care System).  This included health and local authority health related services.  There would be one Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to support each ICS.  However, the challenge for systems was that there was no legislation directing the changes.

As an ICS, Harrow was establishing a Partnership Board.  The proposal was that the Local Authorities Leaders’ meeting would be a formal part of governance, meeting every 1-2 months, ensuring accountability, debate, development of ideas and transparency.  Wherever possible, decisions about care delivery would be taken at borough level, supported by the ICS setting strategic context, sharing best practice and undertaking assurance.

RESOLVED:  That the presentation be noted.

The Board received an update on the Out of Hospital Recovery Plan.

The Plan outlined what had been completed and what remained.  The purpose of the process was to support the partnership in:

a)            identifying and aligning activity and resources around the delivery of shared priorities;

b)            mapping any gaps that required support for implementation, for example, in relation to clinical expertise, data and analytics, communications and engagement; and

c)            agreeing a shared way forward with partners to ensure that the work stream was deliverable and appropriate support provided in overseeing that delivery.

RESOLVED:  That the update be noted, and that the Board’s appreciation to Javina Seghal be recorded for her enormous contribution to the Board over the past years, as this would be her last Board meeting.

The Board received the Adult Social Care Strategy 2020-2023.

The Strategy was a way of creating a change in approach to ensure that citizens received the right support at the right time to enable them to achieve maximum independence, choice and control.  This included giving good information, early intervention, enablement or reablement and preventative services.

RESOLVED:  That the Strategy be noted.

The Board received the Mental Health Strategy for Harrow.

In the borough, poor mental health was correlated to similar population characteristics as severe infection with Covid-19; age, occupation, long term conditions, and disproportionately affected black, Asian, and minority ethnic  (BAME) communities.  These included refugee, asylum seekers, Somali, Afghan, and Tamil populations.

Therefore, Harrow Mental Health Services needed to adapt and plan for the new deterioration in people’s wellbeing across the wider population.

The Board inquired whether online support was being considered for mental health service-users in the current Covid-19 environment.

It was advised that online services were being offered, in addition to telephone calls.

RESOLVED:  That the Strategy be noted.

The Board received the annual reports of the Harrow Safeguarding Adults Board (2019-2020) and the Harrow Safeguarding Children’s Board (2019-2020).

The Harrow Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report (2019-2020) provided the Board with an overview of safeguarding adults activity undertaken in 2019/2020 by the Council and its key partners through the work of the Harrow Safeguarding Adults Board.

The Harrow Safeguarding Children’s Annual Report (2019-2020) was the first annual report compiled by the Harrow Statutory Safeguarding Partners (the Partners) following legal changes to the arrangements for safeguarding children which took effect in June 2019.  Previously the  HSCB was required to publish and share its annual report with specified bodies and persons – one of which was the Health and Wellbeing Board.  The new arrangements required the Partners to produce an annual report, which was then disseminated widely. The report described the activities of the Partners and the effectiveness of the partnership arrangements.  The presentation of the report concluded the HSCB’s role in this respect.

RESOLVED:  That the reports be noted.

REPORT - Focus for Healthwatch Harrow October 2020 - March 2021.

The Board received a report on the Focus for Healthwatch Harrow, October 2020 - March 2021.

This report raised awareness of the revised focus of Healthwatch Harrow, and was considered and supported at the Health and Care Executive Meeting, which led the Integrated Care Service partnership in Harrow.  This was required to be in the public domain, through the Health and Wellbeing Board, which had a statutory mandate.

RESOLVED:  That the Report be noted.